IBM Video Streaming vs. Wistia

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
IBM Video Streaming
Score 8.7 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
IBM Video Streaming solutions are used to stream virtual events, executive town halls, video marketing product launches, and 24-hour streaming channels. According to IBM, the solution is built for privacy, reliability and scale, to optimize video quality, and powered by IBM Watson AI for video search and automated closed captioning. IBM Enterprise Video Streaming can power security-rich video communications ranging from employee town halls, to…
$137
per month 100 viewer hours
Wistia
Score 9.7 out of 10
N/A
Wistia is a video marketing platform that helps teams create, host, market, and measure their videos and webinars. Wistia is used to create professional videos, host webinars, collect and send leads to a connected marketing automation platform. Wistia additionally offers customers support and educational resources.
$24
per month
Pricing
IBM Video StreamingWistia
Editions & Modules
Silver
$137
per month 100 viewer hours
Gold
$688
per month 2,000 viewer hours
Platinum
$1380
per month 5,000 viewer hours
Free
$0
up to 10 videos
Plus
$24
per month
Pro Plan
$99
per month
Advanced Plan
$399
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IBM Video StreamingWistia
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsVideo Streaming edition is available for purchase via credit card online (or via IBM salesperson if needs exceed those outlined in the online plans). Enterprise Video Streaming edition must be purchased from an IBM salesperson.20% discount for annual pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
IBM Video StreamingWistia
Best Alternatives
IBM Video StreamingWistia
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Vimeo
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Score 8.7 out of 10
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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Vimeo
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Score 8.7 out of 10
Atlassian Loom
Atlassian Loom
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 8.0 out of 10
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Score 8.6 out of 10
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User Ratings
IBM Video StreamingWistia
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(128 ratings)
9.9
(71 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(8 ratings)
10.0
(10 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(62 ratings)
10.0
(13 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Performance
8.3
(3 ratings)
10.0
(11 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(9 ratings)
10.0
(11 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.1
(60 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Configurability
6.0
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.1
(2 ratings)
8.0
(11 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.1
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.6
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.6
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
IBM Video StreamingWistia
Likelihood to Recommend
IBM
Very limited customization features. Permissions are a mess too if you want to have people assigned as chat moderators for events for instance, but dont want them access to the admin panel. The quality of the broadcast and live captions work well, but they charge extra for live captions. For operating a video on demand site, the design of the page is really poor and limited on customization. Been a user for years and seen almost no new innovation on the platform which has been disappointing. The metrics are a mess on the user panels too. They do provide an api link for your external metrics and/or data dumps for using something like tableau, but that features not really something to write home about and a rather basic offering. This is an expensive platform with limited options and an outdated style unfortunately. We have been getting by for our uses but there's nothing really keeping us with IBM if another platform offering came around
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Wistia
For companies that want to integrate their videos into actionable steps like behavioral follow up through a CRM, Wistia is the best tool to use. You can automate your systems to track when a video is viewed, engaged with or how long a person has been watching along with heatmaps to show where people were most interested and least interested so you can adjust your videos to optimize their performance.
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Pros
IBM
  • IBM Video Streaming allows for the integration of interactive elements into video content, such as quizzes, polls, and live Q&A sessions. This can make learning more engaging for young students by making it interactive and fun, thus increasing their attention and participation.
  • Teachers in a K-5 setting can access and share professional development materials and teaching resources through the platform. This can help them stay updated on the best practices for early childhood education, innovative teaching methods, and subject-specific strategies, ultimately benefiting their students.
  • IBM Video Streaming provides the capability for teachers to create a library of on-demand educational videos. This is particularly useful for young learners who may need to revisit concepts multiple times to fully understand them. It also supports differentiated learning by allowing students to learn at their own pace.
  • Young students often benefit from visual aids in their learning process. IBM Video Streaming can deliver high-quality video content that includes animations, demonstrations, and visual explanations of concepts. This can be particularly effective in subjects like science, math, and reading, where visualizations can enhance understanding.
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Wistia
  • Wistia enables a lot of customization in the video player, making it personalized to your business.
  • The user experience is pretty intuitive and easy to use without too much training.
  • Wistia's help articles, blog and instructional videos were very helpful as we began investing more resources into video production.
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Cons
IBM
  • Occasionally, we experience a form of static that lasts for about 1 to 2 minutes. It appears in the live stream and in the auto-recorded file, but not in the live worship assembly. It occurs roughly 1 in every 4 hours of webcast time. I wish there was a way to trace the source of that recurring static. The diagnostic tools could be more robust.
  • It would be nice if the chat room allowed a user photo/avatar for each user to personalize that a little more.
  • I have wished for a way that an admin could use a “laser pointer” on the video window to point out something on the feed that other live viewers could see.
  • It would be wonderful to have a mini-tutorial for viewers who are not technically savvy that would inform them of how to get to the site and explain how they can use the software. For example, how they can see and type in the chat room, how to maximize the screen and make it smaller. Some of our viewers are in nursing homes or otherwise limited in capability to learn to use this on their own.
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Wistia
  • Obtaining embed codes for a significantly large number of videos can be very time consuming as there is no way to automatically pull a report.
  • Within a project, there is no way to set the list to show a specific number of videos and you may only have a certain number of videos shown unless you click to expand the list and continue to do so.
  • Once the list is expanded and you click in to a video, when clicking back, the list reloads and you must expand the entire list again which can become very time consuming.
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Likelihood to Renew
IBM
Our organization depends heavily on this streaming service. Now that we have the option of allowing our clients to attend meetings virtually, we can never retract that option as so many of our clients love the flexibility. Also, we have no complaints with the service itself. It is reliable and dependable and any issues we have encountered have never been to blame on the service but rather our lack of knowledge of it or needing to update our embed code
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Wistia
Wistia is super easy to use and very reliable, anytime a video needs to be updated, the existing media can be replaced, but the url remains the same so anywhere this media is shared or embedded, it is immediately updated. Their support is extremely helpful, and there is very rarely any issues with this product.
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Usability
IBM
The user interface is pretty straightforward, but simply needs optimization. (Please hire a seasoned UX person to fix it.) However, all of the key features are there and understandable. It's a great platform overall, a bit expensive, and could use some more options for its viewing experience, and a better "smart" embedding window for mobile applications.
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Wistia
Great, simple, usable product. Would have given it higher marks, but sometimes the folders and permissions aren't the most intuitive. Interface for uploading, tagging, describing videos is simple. Sharing is also relatively intuitive. Overall, a clean and simple interface and most of our marketing team had no issues using it. I think it was easier than using Vimeo.
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Reliability and Availability
IBM
Absolutely. We have never had an outage problem or any application errors that I have been privy to. We are duly notified generally in advance of outages or updates
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Wistia
After several years, we have not come across a situation for which Wistia was not available when needed.
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Performance
IBM
As we use it now, we are satisfied with the streaming performance. I cannot speak to integration yet as we have yet to engage in that but have plans to in the future
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Wistia
I have never had any technical issues with Wistia. The service is fast and reliable. video play back begins as soon as a few seconds of video have buffered. The stats are accurate and available within a few hours of current use. I have integrated it with Marketo and found that the integration is clean and is easily incorporated into the campaign logic flow. (ex. If the user played more than 50% of the video, do Action-A, otherwise do Action-B.
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Support Rating
IBM
We funded 'white glove' service as our timelines were tight and our needs were well-defined. Tier 1 and Tier 2 support were able to help us get up and running in shorter order than we would have on our own. Documentation on the eCDN product had gaps, increasing the time to resolve and created concerns about success.
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Wistia
We have only had to reach out to Wistia support a handful of times in the 4 years we have been using Wistia. They have always been quick to respond and help us solve the problem. The system is self-service so there should be very little to no need to reach out to support on a regular basis.
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Implementation Rating
IBM
Ustream is easy to implement. It takes any stream we have thrown its way and distributed it quickly and with quality. When talking to others that are pursuing live stream implementations, I often remind them that the technology used to distribute your live stream is less important than the quality of the content you are distributing. Taking care to use the right camera equipment, the proper encoder, and quality sound gear will result in a high-quality stream that will allow the strength of the Ustream CDN to shine.
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Wistia
We were in the process of changing our website so that took some time to get Wistia implemented in to our website.
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Alternatives Considered
IBM
Vimeo offers better tools for on-demand like chapters and marketing tools. But their live options are limited to event durations. YouTube can stream for longer durations but IBM 24/7 stream has been much more reliable and easy to use.
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Wistia
Wistia is for business. Period. Vimeo has none of the benefits for a business that Wistia offers. The SEO value and SUPER FAST playback speed are essential. Wistia has it all. Personally, I can rarely get thought a video if hosted on Vimeo because of the glitchy playback and slow rendering.
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Scalability
IBM
IBM global network.
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Wistia
We use many platforms and Wistia has been a standout in terms of reliability and scaleability.
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Return on Investment
IBM
  • Our ROI is measured by the provision of ministry and satisfaction of our congregation. We are extremely pleased with our USTREAM and feel that it is a valuable asset to our church.
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Wistia
  • Doubled lead capture from lead magnet on website from one year to the next.
  • Increased email interaction on newsletters when embedding Wistia video thumbnail into email campaigns (10-15% links clicked bumped to 30-40% links clicked).
  • Can save us about 50+ hours of one-on-one client meeting time per year for pointing clients to video content rather than presenting the same info in a live setting.
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ScreenShots

IBM Video Streaming Screenshots

Screenshot of the viewer's portal experience (channel page).Screenshot of how the automatically generated closed captions can be edited if necessary.Screenshot of the Analytics Console.Screenshot of the Watson Media CMSScreenshot of the viewer's portal experience (channel page).

Wistia Screenshots

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